News digest 28 November 2014

News digest 28 November 2014

28 November 2014

Today’s digest opens with more coverage of the reprivatisation of the East Coast mainline. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: “Rail privatisation has spectacularly failed both taxpayers and the travelling public. Rather than one that has glued itself to a failed dogma, we need a government that puts the people and our national bank balance first." With the franchise won by billionaire transport tycoons Richard Branson and Brian Souter in a Virgin-Stagecoach joint bid which will see the rescued and now profitable public service return to the ‘high standards’ provided on the West Coast line run by the same duo [as ever bank on higher prices, worse service and more profits for those at the top].

And from those at the top to those at the bottom, and for once we’re not talking about workers getting paid a pittance [although the Mirror is one of the many papers covering the fact that chancellor George Osborne is facing a £17 billion financial black hole as workers’ wages remain supressed so the tax take is not rising – as we’ve said before, Britain needs a pay rise and needs it now], but the focus here is on the spectacular fall of former chief whip Andrew Mitchell who last night lost his libel case against the Sun after a judge ruled that the then serving cabinet minister called a Downing street policeman a “pleb”. So not only did he swear at a policeman, he lied about it too, how is he still in the House? Surely it’s time for him to do the honourable thing and resign, now that would be a nice start to the weekend…